Over the last 12 months, craft beer has taken over taps and claimed more shelf space in New Orleans.

Courtesy of Speigelau“Craft beer is made with a little bit of love and a little bit of care,” said Jeremy Labadie, who writes the blog Beer Buddha (www.thebeerbuddha.com). “Budweiser is what it is. There is nothing wrong with it. But it’s not handmade.”

Get a crash course in craft beer at the American Craft Beer Week, May 17-22. Nearly 40 bars in New Orleans, Metairie and the north shore will host free tastings of local and national craft beers. The week ends with the an all-day, paid tasting at the Avenue Pub (1732 St. Charles Ave.), which includes many beers that have never before been served in the state.

American Craft Beer Week is a national celebration of good beer. This is the second year that New Orleans has participated. Polly Watts, the owner of the Avenue Pub, spearheded the local events.

At the Avenue Pub Saturday tasting, nearly 100 craft beers will be available to try, including the first local taste of North Coast on tap, the new smoked hefeweizen from Bayou Teche and Rogue’s Mogul Madness, which the Oregon brewery normally sells only to ski resorts.

“Nine months of hard work came together in May,” said Watts, who is constantly working to bring new beers and breweries to the New Orleans market. “I kind of outdid myself. A lot of the stuff we considered special last year is not special anymore.”

The May 22 tasting at the Avenue Pub, which begins at 1 p.m., is $20 for a dozen 4-ounce samples. For a complete list of other tastings and beer dinners around the city, visit www.avenuepub.com and click on “Events.”